The Real Hero
by SnowFlower Frost
Summary: According to the village, Snotlout's the real hero, the one who defeated the Red Death. Hiccup is cast aside, alone and abandoned. But when push comes to shove and things are taken one step too far... will the villagers reveal the reason for their cruel deception? Oneshot.


**Hey! I would just like to point out that Stoick is _not _acting OOC. All will be explained;) Also- I've been looking for a fic like this for a while and I couldn't find one. So I came up with the perfect solution. I'd make my own!**

**Song: Skyscraper by Demi Lovato. (Feel free to listen to it while you read!)**

**Now, with all that said and done, without further ado I invite you to read...**

* * *

_**The Real Hero**_

* * *

"Budge up, Useless!" A Viking cried, pushing Hiccup roughly to the side, out of the way of his cart of vegetables and tools.

Another called. "Scram! You're not wanted here, nuisance!"

Hiccup's eyes grew jaded, and it was only the feeling of Toothless nudging him along that gave him the strength and determination to bow his head and ignore the constant jeers.

He wondered how things could have changed so fast. Just two months ago, he had been the hero of Berk, the slayer of the Red Death. People had liked him, smiled at him, called him _Hiccup. _

He had loved it. Despite what he had told himself for years, he wanted people to like him, too. He had wanted to fit in. He had wanted to be a Viking. But he hadn't been. He had gotten a short taste of it before it had been ripped away.

He had no idea why. His father had held a meeting in the Great Hall one night, which he hadn't been allowed to attend, and when he woke up the next morning people were congratulating Snotlout on his defeat of the Red Death and when he had asked what was going on, he had been told rather coldly to go somewhere he was wanted.

Just when he had thought things would turn out for the better, he had been proven wrong. He had thought that maybe he had found his niche, his special place, but it had all turned out to be a lie. All of it.

It wouldn't have been as painful if they had just started hailing Snotlout from the start. But they hadn't. And it hurt. He was unbelievably curious as to why they had even bothered to pretend.

His shoulders slumped as he dejectedly bought the items on his dad's list of things they needed, his metal prosthetic paining him as it clanged along the ground with each step. He tripped on a loose rock, and this time instead of people rushing to help him up and asking if he was okay, it was the same as it had been for the past two months or so. They pointed and laughed and jeered as Toothless helped him get up on his feet.

One called to him. "Nice trip, Useless! Next time you should try the mountain top."

The laughter increased. Hiccup just bowed his head and hurried along, entering his house and rushing up into his room, pulling out his sketchpad along the way.

The rejection of village had hurt, yes, but what hurt him the most was the rejection of his father. He had just gotten used to his father liking him, trusting him, being _proud _of him, and now he hated him all over again. He barely spoke to him, and when he did, it was either a reprimand or to let him know how disappointed he was.

Astrid's rejection had been almost as bad. Unlike most of the other Vikings, she just ignored him. No nasty comments, no snickers, just no reaction from her whatsoever. He had even tried insulting her, she had just kept walking.

He wondered why the gods hated him so much.

As if sensing the turn of his thoughts from bad to worse, Toothless nudged best friend's side, eliciting a weak chuckle out of the boy and a small "Thanks, Bud," as his thoughts went down a lighter path.

Toothless's big green eyes shone in worry for his friend and anger at the ones who had made him this way. His Hiccup had been a bit more subdued, only being truly himself when he was alone in his room with Toothless.

Hiccup pulled out his sketchpad and sketched randomly, not paying attention to the drawing at all. It was natural for him, like breathing air. It was a stress reliever, but most importantly, it was what he did when he got upset. He wasn't sure how much more he could take of this.

Sketching, drawing, creating was an escape for him. A way to forget his troubles and a way to pretend that people cared about him. The way some people found peace and escape in books, he found it in drawing. When things got too tough, when he just needed some breathing room, that was when he drew.

Of course, he drew when he was happy, too. But lately he hadn't been all that happy, and it showed in the way his forest green eyes didn't sparkle quite as much, the way his shoulders slumped just a little bit, the way Toothless nudged him concernedly every now and then.

He just wanted an explanation. Why would someone be so cruel as to pretend to someone they cared about them, when they had ignored them for their whole life, after they've done something that changed the lives of everyone?

He would have rathered to have been told straight off, but no... They just had to torture him, make him feel as though he was wanted, as though he was somebody, before sending him spiralling back down into the pit of loneliness and despair and desperation that had been his life.

Don't get him wrong, he had been through this for many, many years now, but he had never had any illusions that they cared about him. And once he had them, suddenly his previous life was twice as hard now that he had been shoved back into it.

But he did have one light among the darkness. Toothless. That dragon was the reason he was still alive today, the reason that he was still here. He loved him, and the dragon loved him back. Unlike the others, he was sure that he wasn't pretending. And he was glad.

Because he didn't know what he'd do if the dragon left him or pretended not to like him, or actually didn't like him. Probably be even more miserable then he already is now.

He wondered what made Snotlout such a big hero. What about him? Why wasn't _he_ a hero? Actually, he knew the answer, it was in his name - Hiccup the Useless -, but that didn't stop him wondering.

He prided himself on being smart and observant. So why hadn't he realized they were all playing him for a fool? Was it just him or were they treating him _worse _than they used to?

He sighed and put his sketchbook aside, getting ready for bed. Because maybe then he could dream, he could pretend that everything was still okay.

Toothless nudged his side before blowing blue fire over his own bed and curling up like an over grown kitten. Despite how many times he had seen that, it never failed to make him smile. As he did tonight.

"Night, Bud," he murmured, getting an answering coo from the dragon.

He shifted on his bed for what felt like hours, eventually falling into a fitful sleep. Much to his disappointment, he didn't dream. But he didn't mind too badly. He liked the blackness too. At the moment, _anything_ was better then the outside world.

The next morning, Hiccup was up with the sun. No matter how much he would have rather slept in, it was a habit. It always had been. It was something that had rubbed off on him, something that his mother used to do.

She used to wake him up real early, just before the sun rose over the horizon, and then she would take his hand and lead him outside to watch the rising of the sun. She had always told him how pretty, how beautiful it was, and it made her feel, it made everything feel.

Before she had died, Hiccup had agreed, not reading any more into the matter. But after, when the villagers had started their cruelty, it had symbolized something else. It had symbolized hope, beauty, it had symbolized that things would always get better.

And he had firmly believed that, until the villagers started treating him badly again. Then all it was was a mockery, something that symbolized the false hope and contentment he had had. It hurt to look at it as rose, what used to bring hope now crushing his, but he couldn't stop. It was addicting. After all, didn't the village screwup deserve some pain?

Toothless knew that, but it was clear he didn't like it. Hiccup didn't care. The sunrise reminded him of how easily people could be brought up. And of how much easier it was to bring them down.

He had trusted them, gods damn it! He had trusted them! And this was how they repaid him? By abandoning him as soon as they could? They didn't even acknowledge that he was the one who had defeated the Red Death! And whenever he mentioned it to someone, they just took him by the arm and dragged him to Gothi muttering about mental cases.

Snotlout was the hero! He was the one who had defeated the Red Death, he was the one who had shot down the Night Fury! Well, that was what the village had said.

Hiccup wouldn't have minded all that much if they had just continued to treat him like a person. They could call Snotlout the hero all they wanted, it wasn't a title Hiccup liked. All he wanted was to be treated like a person, not a hiccup, a misfit, a nuisance, a mistake.

Stoick had replaced the real shield on the wall of the Great Hall, the one with Hiccup holding a scroll and looking like himself. It had been replaced with the hideous one Bucket had created first, with the huge, muscly, chiefly Hiccup.

And that hurt too. Even though his dad never said he was proud of him anymore, even though all he did was shout and yell or say how disappointed he was, it had still hurt. What had he done to deserve this hell on earth? He didn't know and he doubted he would ever find out.

It was all he could do to just close his eyes and ignore the world, to pretend his problems didn't exist even though they did. Unfortunately, even that mockery of a reprieve had been ripped away from him.

"Hiccup!" Stoick called up into his bedroom. "Come on down, you an' I need ta have a chat."

Hiccup winced, his eyes dark as Toothless helped him down the stairs, his prosthetic paining him. "Yes, Dad?"

Stoick eyed him from where he was sitting at the table, finishing up some breakfast. "I've decided you need to start helping out more, Hiccup. So, starting this morning, head down to the docks, will you? And leave Toothless here."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "But-"

Stoick cut him off. "No protests. The dragon stays here. I'll know."

Hiccup bit his lip, but nodded at his father's glare. He slipped on his coat and petted Toothless' nose.

"I know, bud," he said softly. "I'll see you later, I promise."

Toothless crooned sadly at him but nodded as Hiccup made his way out the door.

Stoick eyed the dragon before leaning in and whispering something in Toothless' ear.

Toothless refused vehemently, clearly visible by the way he back away and roared quietly at the chief.

Stoick's eyes narrowed, and he said softly, but not angrily. "Alright then. I'll be back in a bit." A hint of relief might have even been in his tone as he made his way out the door.

* * *

Hiccup meandered down to the docks, keeping his head low and ignoring the insults as he stumbled along, wincing each time his prosthetic hit the ground.

As soon as he got there, they put him to work. Nothing too strenuous, though he struggled immensely. He wasn't built for lifting heavy crates all day, and the constant snickers made that clear. But at least they helped, right?

The day was long, tedious, and it took all he had not to break down, he missed Toothless. He missed his dragon. Breathing a sigh of relief, he finally was permitted to leave the docks and he wasted no time in doing so. He kept his head down and hurried home, expression downcast and beaten in.

The second he entered his home, Toothless pounced on him, licking his face, and Hiccup offered him a small smile, his first one all day. Toothless glared, well, as much as a dragon could glare, at Stoick, when he saw how exhausted Hiccup was. He pushed him up the stairs and straight into bed.

Sleep was sweet.

* * *

The next week or so passed much the same, with Hiccup getting more and more tired. He hardly had the energy to make one of his trademark witty remarks anymore, he just kept getting more and more and more tired.

It was easy to see why. They kept giving him more and more and more responsibility. Well, more like supervised labour. By the third day, the other dock workers had taken to just watching him all day, leaving him to do the work of five Vikings. Of course, he could simply not do it, but then they would say he wasn't doing his fair share. And who would they believe? The village screwup or hard working, actual Vikings? So he did the back breaking hard labour they called work. All on his own.

He didn't fail to note that the task they had assigned him was traditionally the work of the hiccup of the village, and it showed in the way his shoulders slumped just a bit more each day. He wasn't broken, but he was close. He was tired of being treated like he wasn't as good as them just because he cared more about people. Just because he wasn't as big or as bulky as them. It was downright offensive, to be honest.

It wasn't the most enjoyable experience, spending all his time labouring over smelly fish and other equally gross and heavy things, but he could deal with it. He had Gobber and Toothless, he'd be okay.

The time he got to spend with Gobber was virtually inexistent, he might run into him for a five minute chat at the market or something, if he was lucky. Things with Toothless weren't much better. He only got to see him after he was done working at the docks, and he only got to fly with him very late at night. It was odd and unusual not to see the dragon he had come to love so much all the time, but he was used to it by now.

One thing being the village screwup for years had taught Hiccup was to readapt quickly. It was to be noted with sadness that the reason was because the village hiccup was always assigned the most terrible and disgusting tasks.

He entered his house and patted Toothless' head weakly, not bothering to smile. Smiles were reserved only for flying, now. And even when he was flying, they were still rare.

He said softly. "So, bud, would you like to go for a fly around the island before I crash?"

At Toothless' excited chirp, Hiccup laughed slightly and quickly made a sandwich, gulping it down before leading his dragon, his only friend, outside and climbing on his back.

He whooped in glee as his friend took off and they began to soar through the skies, doing all sorts of difficult and dangerous manoeuvres. Though he didn't need to do them, they made him feel calmer and happier. He felt like his old self when he was in the skies, the one that people admired and respected and treated like a person. The third thing was most important to him. He just wanted to be normal.

He smiled and laughed joyfully as they swooped through the skies, scattering cloudbanks and lighting up the skies with rings of blue fire. This was his escape, one of the only ways he found that let him feel totally and absolutely free. He loved it. It let him feel free, and that was something he would never forget. In a world where he was a laughing stock, he could find peace and tranquility. The sky was his home, more then the ground ever could be.

He knew it, and the dragons knew it too. They treated him as one of their own. They protected him, sheltered him, made him feel loved, even, at times. He was the one that _all _the dragons had loyalty for, though those with riders of their own were more loyal to them. He didn't mind. The dragons accepted him when the Vikings, his people did not. He hadn't a clue why, but he was thankful for it. Between them and Gobber, he had the strength to keep going in a world that didn't want him. And that took an awful lot of stubbornness, determination, and courage. Much more then the average Viking possessed.

The dragons recognized that he was one of them as well as a king of the sky.

They only headed back when the sun was all the way under the horizon, and they could only see indigo black sky full of bright twinkling little stars in whatever direction they looked. Not that anyone would have cared if they had stayed out, but still.

* * *

Meanwhile, the more intelligent Viking warriors were having a meeting in the Great Hall.

"Is it time for step two?" One asked.

Another nodded. "I think so. We actually have no clue when he's supposed to arrive, but it's getting close now."

A third one sighed. "Fine. Tonight it is."

* * *

The joy left Hiccup's face as soon as they touched down. Reality was back, and with a vengeance.

To his shock, his father was waiting for them when they went inside. "Hiccup!" His father said, no trace of a smile on his face. He was accompanied by around six other men.

Hiccup began to feel nervous on top of his tiredness, wondering what he had done now. "Yes?"

Stoick told him. "Head up to bed."

Hiccup was confused, but nodded. "Okay. C'mon bud." He gestured to his dragon to follow him, but Stoick shook his head and grabbed his shoulder. "The dragon stays here."

Hiccup froze. "What?"

Stoick eyed him. "We're taking him to the destroyer of the Red Death. Snotlout Jorgenson. Your cousin, and future chief of the tribe if you don't shape up. "

"No!" Hiccup exclaimed. "I won't let you!" He narrowed his eyes, hurt, betrayed and terrified.

His father grabbed his arm and dragged him up the stairs, calling over his shoulder. "Take the dragon to the Conqueror."

Hiccup pleaded. "C'mon, Dad, you can't do this. _Please."_

Stoick only sighed. "Who's more deserving of a Night Fury? A hero or a hiccup?"

Hiccup shook, his green eyes wide with too many emotions to name. "Please," he begged desperately.

"No," Stoick said firmly, pushing Hiccup inside and barring the door.

He said to himself, extremely softly. "Oh, Hiccup, I'm so sorry." A single tear ran down into his red beard before he turned down the stairs to assist his men.

* * *

Hiccup stared in desperation at the door, before he ran over to the window, only to find it was boarded over. "No, no, no," he muttered, his eyes wide in hurt and horror.

"They can't take Toothless. Please, don't let them take Toothless," he was finding it hard to accept what had happened, his eyes wide in shock and so many other things.

As he always did when he was feeling depressed, he turned to look for Toothless, only his dragon wasn't there.

Tears ran down his cheeks and he stumbled over to his bed before collapsing, his vision blurred as he sobbed desperately, wrapping his arms around himself and rocking back and forth, his agony visible. He felt like someone had just cut out part of his soul and left it to rot.

He couldn't believe that his father had just taken his dragon from him. He couldn't believe that someone had just taken his dragon from him. It was horribly depressing. He could hardly move, hardly breathe. It was the worst thing he had ever experienced.

His sobs were loud and noisy, his tears glossy and fat as they dripped down his chin and fell on to his pillows. His best friend was gone, had been taken from him because of _his _incompetence, had been given to Snotlout, arrogant, stupid Snotlout. It just didn't seem fair. _He_ had defeated the Red Death, _he _had lost his leg for the good of the village.

And now Snotlout was the hero and he was worthless. Things had been okay when he still had Toothless, then he could have a semblance of happiness, he suspected. But he couldn't even have that. They just had to go and make his life absolutely miserable by taking away one of the only things that actually mattered to him.

They had taken away treating him like one of them, like an actual human, which was something he had cherished immensely. And he had been deeply hurt and wounded by that, but he had been okay. Now they had taken away his dragon, Toothless, and he didn't know how he was going to go on after this. He thought it might be impossible, how could he do what he normally did when he had this gaping hole in his chest? Now he only had two things left. Teaching the dragon riding lessons once a week, and his honorary uncle, Gobber.

He continued to sob hopelessly, absolutely miserable. This was just terrible, how could such a thing have happened? When he had become less then human to them? Normally he would have his dragon to cheer him when he got this bad, but his dragon wasn't here. This just sent him into even more frantic tears, they poured fatly down his cheeks in little streams of liquid sorrow. His dragon was gone and he couldn't do a single damn thing.

It hurt badly to know that he had allowed them to take his dragon, the one person that was always there for him. They had taken Toothless and he had been powerless to stop them. It was a bitter feeling to know that the power to stop something was right at your fingertips and yet you couldn't do a thing. Because of him, Toothless was going to end up with Snotlout and he was alone. Again.

He sobbed, so upset he could barely think straight, so upset he _couldn't _think straight, so upset that his mind decided to take pity on him and send him a flashback of happier times, times when his mother, Valhallarama, was still alive.

_-Flashback-_

_He smiled, laughing brightly as his mother tickled his stomach, sending him into tears of laughter. "Please, Mom!" He said through his laughter, "Please s-stop!"_

_A six year old Hiccup looked adoringly at his mother, his vision blurred with happy tears._

_Valhallarama looked at him and shook her head teasingly. "Oh no, mister. You've got to pay."_

_Hiccup laughed harder. "Please!"_

_She thought about it for a while, before nodding and wrapping him up in a hug. "I love you," she whispered to him. "I love you and I always will. You're my little boy, my little Viking."_

_Hiccup smiled and hugged her back. "I love you too, Mom." It was too bad she would be killed in a raid just a week after._

_-Flashback Ends-_

Hiccup smiled slightly, though he continued to cry at the bittersweet memory. It was nice to see his mother again... even if it was only in a memory and even if it only made the fact she was dead hurt more. He wondered why the gods were so cruel to him, and not to anyone else. What was it about him that they loved to torment? Just how was it fair?

He sobbed until he ran out of tears. By the time he was done he was dehydrated and his pillows were almost soaked through. He could just take Toothless and run... but at the same time he couldn't. He couldn't leave Gobber. He couldn't stop teaching lessons.

So for now, he would stay. Where else did he have to go? He only had two things left in the world. And Toothless, the most important of them by far, was gone.

He eventually fell into a fitful sleep, just before dawn. He kept whimpering, "Please, please," all night, it really was heartbreaking. Especially for a parent. Especially for Stoick.

* * *

Until the next dragon riding lesson, which was almost a week, things remained the same, and always as melancholy. He was escorted to the docks, forced to do all the heavy lifting labour they could find for him, and then escorted back home. Never once did he catch a glimpse of Toothless, though he heard Snotlout boasting about his new dragon several times, and each stung him deeply.

Finally, it came time to teach the dragon riding lesson, one of the few highlights of his week. But he was shocked when he entered the dragon riding arena, that was sure.

"Useless!" Snotlout sneered. "Go somewhere you're wanted, I teach this lesson and I refuse to have you in my class."

His eyes widened in horror and he felt the urge to crumple over and sob at the cruelty with which his former students wanted. But he had already lost the most important thing to him.

Only one reason left to stick around. He prayed that Gobber didn't betray him too.

Over the next few days, he grew more and more and more defeated, barely speaking. His eyes didn't sparkle at all, they were almost, _almost _lifeless, his shoulders were always slumped, and he never met anyone's eyes. He was acting exactly how a hiccup was supposed to act. Depressed, miserable, and like they didn't mean as much as anyone else.

Only one thing kept him there, and that was Gobber.

He didn't react anymore when the villagers told him to his face how much of a hiccup he was. He didn't react when they taunted him with how perfect they were. He was, for lack of a better word. Lifeless. Just lifeless. There was no other word for it.

* * *

One day, after going home, he snuck back out and to the forge, intending to make something. He entered his little room at the back and was in there for hours, just smithing away.

Went he went to leave, though, he was shocked at the conversation he heard.

One Viking said. "So, heard Useless hasn't been showing up to your shop as much."

A second Viking, undoubtedly Gobber, nodded and replied. "Yep. An' am I ever glad, too. Useless can't even smith right. Honestly, don't know what I ever saw in the boy."

Hiccup froze, and repressing a scream, left through the window. He had lost _everything. _Everything. He had nothing anymore. He was alone. Completely, utterly, and totally alone. He didn't even have Gobber anymore.

No Gobber, no teaching, no Toothless, no Stoick, no being treated like a human. A small, almost inexistent smile crossed his face. He had no reason to stick around.

* * *

Hiccup sobbed quietly in his room a few days later as he gathered a pack of his favourite belongings, some supplies, clothes, and keepsakes before sneaking downstairs. He looked around for his father, still crying quietly, only to note with relief that he wasn't there. It was late at night, very late, and he planned to find Toothless and get out of there.

To leave Berk behind. He couldn't stay here, not anymore.

He snuck outside and over to the Jorgensons' house a little bit away, thankful for the lack of distance between the two houses now more then ever.

He held his breath as he opened the door wide. He didn't even get to step inside, though, before his dragon had rushed out the door and pounced on him.

Hiccup smiled, just a little bit, and patted Toothless' nose. "I missed you too," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. I missed you more then I could ever imagine."

Toothless nudged him, cooing happily, and he laughed softly as his dragon helped him to his feet. "We're leaving Berk. Let's go to the Cove," he said quietly, trying to hold back the tears though he couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice.

Toothless stared at him before pushing him towards the cove with his nose. The two made quick progress into the night, until they finally arrived at the cove.

Hiccup couldn't stand the sight of the familiar place, he burst out sobbing. "Oh, Toothless, I don't know if I can l-leave. But at the same time, I just can't stay."

Toothless curled around his distraught rider, who continued to shake and sob, clearly beyond the reach of anyone now. Even him. Hopefully, in Toothless' opinion, he would get it out of his system soon, with Toothless' help, and then they could go leave this horrible place that had treated his rider so terribly behind, and create a new future for themselves.

* * *

Stoick trudged wearily up to Hiccup's room, late at night. He hesitated by the closed door for a moment, before entering it. "Hiccup?" He called.

Even though he didn't receive an answer, he opened the door and froze in shock. The room had been cleared of some of Hiccup's prized possessions and some of his clothes. It looked lifeless, like no one had ever lived there at all, or at least not for a very long time.

His voice died in his throat. "H-Hiccup."

As fast as he could, he dashed down the steps and checked the kitchen, confirming they were missing some of their food. He was swamped in guilt. He had taken things too far, but it had to be believable, and the best way for something to be believable was for people to believe it was real.

"My boy..." Stoick said, it catching in his throat. He ran over to the Jorgensons' house, confirming what he already knew. Hiccup had taken Toothless and was running away with him.

He wasted no time in waking the village and calling a meeting. Within twenty minutes, every last Viking was present and calling out threats or demands for an explanation.

"HUSH UP!" Stoick shouted over the din, nodding as they did so. "Good. You're all probably wonderin' why you're here. Hiccup's missing, he took Toothless and left. We've got to find him and bring him home!"

The effect was instantaneous, guilt crossing everyone's face, but Mildew's, who instead looked pleased. They had caused him to do that, to feel as if his home wasn't his home anymore.

The ones who probably felt the most guilty, though, were Stoick, Gobber, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs. They were the ones who were closest to him, and they were the ones who had had the biggest part in driving him away.

How could they have made him feel so bad that he felt the need leave? Why had the taken the stupid plan so far? It had been stupid and idiotic, they could have told him the second they started that they didn't actually think what they were saying. So why didn't they…? They could have saved him, and Berk, so much heartache and pain. It would have been better for everyone. But they hadn't.

They had lied to him and deceived him for months, deprived him of his dragon for two or three, and just basically tormented him and forced him to do hard labour for ages. No wonder he had left. Who wouldn't?

Stoick's eyes shone in determination as the search groups started heading out, all over the island. He would find his son and tell him the truth. It was the only way he would ever begin to forgive himself… and to heal his son.

He hopped on Thornado and swooped over the trees and the ice and the sea, a man on a mission. He had done something so terribly wrong he didn't even know where to begin, and he had to make up for it, he just had to. He had to show his son that people did love him, that people did care about him.

Despite the despicable way they'd been acting for the past few months, they did. All they had done was only to keep him safe, and that was the only reason. Snotlout could protect himself if someone took an interest in the Dragon Conqueror. Hiccup couldn't. That someone being a chief from one of the most dangerous tribes in all of the Barbaric Archipelago. A chief who was scheduled to visit Berk sometime within the next six months, who took an interest in rarities and coveted them, hiding them away from the world.

And that was something Stoick couldn't allow to happen to Hiccup. He cared too much about the boy, about his son and heir to the tribe. Hiccup was one of the most important things in his life, and if he had to hurt him to protect him, he would without hesitation. Just as he had been doing for the past six months or so, ever since he had found out about the chief of the Murderous Tribe coming to visit.

He swooped lower, eventually having Thornado drop him in the forest, hours later. He was consumed by his own guilt and hopeless. Tears were running down his cheeks and catching in his beard as he said shakily. "Oh Hiccup, I'm so sorry I failed you, lad."

That was when he noticed the sobs in the distance. Hope took over his whole being and then he wasn't in control of himself, just dashing madly towards the sounds. He hoped against hope it was Hiccup.

* * *

Hiccup was still crying hours later, much to the shock of everyone around him, namely, Toothless. He couldn't believe how hopeless and betrayed he felt, now that he had his dragon back it was like he was going through all that heartbreak all over again. It hurt him, badly. It brought tears to his eyes and made his throat sting and chest hurt.

He felt sick and abandoned and alone and used. He knew one thing for sure- he would murder anyone who told him otherwise. They had used him to defeat the Red Death and then thrown him aside like trash, trying to take his dragon from him and trying to make him a good, complacent little hiccup. Well, they were about to find out that that wasn't who he was. He wasn't a good, complacent little hiccup, however much he may have been acting like it lately.

He was brave, loyal, and strong, with a bond with dragons and a thirst for knowledge. His best friend was a Night Fury and his tribe was his own, one that he was the leader of. He was his own leader, he didn't have a tribe or a people. He was alone, but that was okay.

He couldn't expect anything else anymore. And though it hurt rather badly, to be honest, he had to get used to it, because something told him things wouldn't be changing any time soon.

He was his own leader, his own follower, his own tribe. He could travel the world and invent new things, discover things and animals and plants never dreamed about, maybe find more species of dragons. It wasn't his perfect life, he would have much rather had his father and friends and family, but he could deal with it. It wasn't bad, just not what he had always imagine and wanted, that was for sure.

He would make his own path from now on, no matter how much it hurt. He was still crying, and Toothless was still crooning softly to him, trying to get him to see reason. It was working, slowly but surely. They couldn't stay here much longer, it was fast approaching dawn and the villagers would soon notice he was missing.

He didn't think he mattered much, as the villagers wouldn't really care if a hiccup went missing, but they might care if a Night Fury, the only known Night Fury in existence, did. And as long as they knew where he was, they knew where the Night Fury was. Because Toothless wouldn't leave without him, and he wouldn't leave without Toothless. No, they _couldn't _leave without each other. It would hurt too much. They had to stick together. It was their destiny.

Hiccup and Toothless were always meant to find each other. It had been fate when Hiccup had shot Toothless out of the sky, it was clear to anyone who cared to look. What was the odds that the one night Hiccup chose an invention that actually worked he had actually hurt one of the fastest and nearly impossible to catch dragons in existence? They were very, very slim. Downright impossible, in fact.

But it had happened and they were here today, best friends, dragon and rider. So miracles did exist. A suffering boy got the comfort he deserved and a dragon got the companion he'd always wanted. They were the perfect pair, and everyone knew it.

Hiccup was so out of it as he cried that he didn't hear the crunch of Stoick's boots on the ground, he didn't hear the soft grunts as the large man tried to squeeze under the shield blocking the way into the cove, he didn't notice that the man himself was crying or even there until a large hand clapped on to his shoulder. He freaked and pushed franticly at hand, sobbing even harder.

Barely audible were the words. "You can't make me go back, please, please don't make me go back. Just let me go and get rid of me, the stupid village screwup. Please. Please. Please," he begged. "I'll do anything."

Stoick froze. What had they done to make him beg to be allowed to leave? He could barely breathe for guilt. "Oh, Hiccup, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, lad."

Hiccup glanced at him, recognizing his father through his blurry eyes, but he pleaded. "Please. I can't do it anymore, I don't have any reason to stay, please, please just let me leave," he begged.

Stoick was crying himself by this point. To have his son crying and begging to leave him, to leave Berk, to leave his home, stung very, very badly. "Oh, Val, I failed you. I'm so, so sorry," he said sadly.

He turned to Hiccup. "Hiccup, I'm sorry," Stoick said, his voice trembling and shaking with emotion, his throat tight. "It's not true. We don't think that way about you. You saved us, you're the Dragon Trainer, not Snotlout," he snorted, despite the situation. "I'm so, so sorry."

Hiccup stared at him, dumbfounded. "W-What?!" He demanded, not really believing him. "W-Why are you l-lying, Dad?" He said, sobbing. "This hurts enough as it is, I don't need you to make it hurt e-even more."

Stoick looked sadly at him, saying semi composedly. "The leader of the Murderous Tribe might be stopping by soon, Hiccup. He's the leader of the most dangerous tribe in the whole Archipelago and he would love to find a way to ride dragons."

Hiccuo froze as he received this new information. Could his father possibly be trying to suggest...? He continued to cry tearfully, stroking Toothless' nose.

"I had to protect you, my boy. I just had to, so I came up with this plan so that the chief wouldn't target you, he would target Snotlout. I ignored you and berated you for months for no good reason, Hiccup," Stoick told him quietly.

Hiccup stared tearfully at him, clutching his packed bag close to his chest, but said nothing, trying to ignore the emotions churning around inside him. He felt hope, more hope then he had felt in months, desperation, an emotion he was extremely familiar with, sorrow, another very familiar one, hurt, even more familiar, and wariness, to name a few. He couldn't believe he had been ignored for months because of some stupid plan... if he believed his father, anyway.

Stoick laid a hand on his shoulder and forced the crying boy to look into his eyes. "Hiccup, you're one of the strongest boys, strongest people I've ever met. You kept going for months after we took everything away from you, and you only ran away when you saw no reason to stay," his voice cracked. "Son, I'm so, so proud of you," his voice was fill to the brim and overflowing with pure, raw emotion.

Hiccup froze, his mind overloading. Could it be true? He wanted it to be so, so badly, more then he'd ever wanted anything in his whole life, except for his dragon back. He stared into his father's eyes and was shocked by the emotion dwelling in them.

Just by looking at his face, you could tell his sincerity. It was written in the lines in his forehead, the plead in his eyes, the way he couldn't seem to frown or smile, instead setting on something in between, the way tears ran down the usually stoic man's cheeks.

"Oh, son," his voice was terribly thick with emotion, so much that you could barely make out the words. "Could you ever forgive me?"

Hiccup couldn't take any more, he launched himself at his father and sobbed quietly, his eyes wide as he sobbed into his father's chest.

His father had told him he was proud of him, told him why he had been ignored, asked for his forgiveness. But that last one may take a while to truly happen, but he could start trying. He was so, so happy that people would start treating him like he was human, and he sobbed softly. "A-all I w-wanted was to be t-treated like I was a h-human. I didn't want to be anyone special. J-just a human."

Stoick's eyes filled with guilt again and he hugged his son tighter. "Oh, Hiccup, I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry," he told him, his voice shaking.

Hiccup buried his head in his father's chest and said quietly, through his tears. "I f-forgive you. But I might need a little more time.."

Stoick nodded. "Take all the time you need, Hiccup," he held the trembling and sobbing boy to his chest, comforting him the way only a parent could.

Hiccup wasn't one to hold a grudge, but he had suffered so much and then he had found out it was all an act? He reacted the same way any teen would- with tears of relief and sorrow and anger mixed.

He said softly, ignoring the tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry."

He rubbed his aching wrists absentmindedly, eyes to the ground. They would have only done this because of something he had done, even if it was so he would be protected.

Stoick stared at him, shocked. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock!" He said seriously. "You have nothing to be sorry for, son," he said. He drew the boy into a hug. "I'm so, so proud of you."

Hiccup smiled tearfully at his father. "You mean it?"

Stoick nodded. "Yes."

Hiccup hugged his father tighter. The words he had wanted to hear for months… well, he had finally heard them. And he had to admit it was better than he remembered. But that was what happened when you had been deprived of something for months that most considered to be a basic human privilege. But for half a year, he hadn't been treated like a human. He had been treated like a hiccup.

And everyone knew hiccups didn't deserve to be treated any better than slaves.

Stoick smiled down at his son, wishing words could convey how proud he was and how guilty he felt. He just couldn't find the words to tell him exactly how he felt, he could repeat them over and over and over again and it still wouldn't be enough.

"You truly are Val's son," Stoick told him proudly. "And you most definitely are mine," he smiled again. "Hiccup, I wouldn't have it any other way. So what if you're not as vikingly as the rest of us?"

He gestured to Hiccup, _all _of Hiccup. "Turns out we just needed a bit more a' _this _to really see that. The whole village is sorry, Hiccup. You know that, right?"

Hiccup nodded, his forest green eyes filling with unshed tears. "I-I know, Dad. But why couldn't you have just said something?" He asked desperately, his eyes wide. He couldn't understand why they hadn't just told him the truth. He wouldn't have minded acting, he would have even helped out.

Stoick sighed. "Because, Hiccup, you're terrible at lying and acting. For it to seem real, it had to be real. To you, anyway."

Hiccup nodded but a troubled expression never left his face. "I.. I just… I didn't know. I could have acted. And why are you telling me the truth now?"

Stoick's eyes showed immense sadness and frustration. "Because now that you've experienced it, you can act it. The chief, Magdolen the Malevolent should be arriving within a week."

"A week more?" Hiccup asked, drying his tears. "Just a week? You promise?" He sniffled.

Stoick nodded. "Just a' week."

Hiccup stared at the sand with a sigh.

Stoick wrapped his arm around Hiccup's shoulders. "C'mon, I think it far past the time we went back."

Astrid came running into the cove just as the two stood, apparently thinking to check here for Hiccup. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of him.

She stalked over and punched his arm, hard.

Hiccup eyed her with disbelief and cracked a grin. "Now what was that for?"

Astrid smiled and told him. "That was for worrying me to death… and this is because I'm sorry." She pulled him forward and kissed him.

Then she blushed and pulled back. "Chief! I had no clue you were here."

Hiccup laughed as Toothless nudged his side. Things might not be perfect… but they certainly weren't the worst they could be. And he would accept anything but the worst, the life he had lived for the past six months. It was just who he was.

He didn't hold grudges. He forgave but he never forgot, which he found was a dangerous but good lifestyle for him. He smiled at Astrid, at Stoick, at Toothless. "Let's go home."

And they all agreed.

* * *

Exactly three heartfelt and tearful days later, the chief of the Murderous Tribe, Magdolen the Malevolent, and his wife, Minnie the Mischievous, arrived on Berk. All parties were rather uncertain about the whole thing, and Hiccup was glad. He only had to keep his head down and act like a hiccup for two whole days... couldn't be that hard, right? He was wrong.

The first night, for example, Magdolen the Malevolent walked right up to him and commented on a how much of a shame it was the Berk's Heir was so scrawny. Of course, it wasn't all that offensive, but Hiccup still felt that familiar tinge of annoyance.

The next morning he was forced to get up much before the sun rose and stumble blindly around the village to the docks, where he was doing heavy labour before the sun had even begun to kiss the horizon.

The derogatory comments from the villagers stung, but not quite as much- he knew they didn't mean them and were only doing it to keep him safe. No other reason. Well, except for Mildew, but he's not important.

The second night, Magdolen made a comment on his prosthetic. "What did you do to get that? Were you perhaps trying to lift a chicken?"

That was mostly aggravating. He had fallen into a volcano, almost, after defeating the biggest dragon known to Viking with the aid of his Night Fury. But instead he just looked down and remained silent.

Finally, the third morning of Magdolen and Minnie's visit, they signed the treaty and departed, much to the glee of the Berkians. But not one person was more happy then Hiccup.

He could finally, after months of being suppressed and alone, be himself. Revelling in his new found freedom, he smirked and said. "I _really _don't see how that guy could crush a yak."

The villagers burst out laughing. Hiccup was back, he was healing, and things were looking up.

I wish I could tell you that they lived happily ever after, but that would be lying. Sure, things turned out great in the end, but Hiccup, Toothless, and the Gang had many adventures over the years. Many rather _dangerous _adventures. I would tell you about them... but that is a tale for another time.

* * *

**So, I noticed the How to Train Your Dragon fandom was lacking both a story dealing with this issue, and it's monster one shot. Here's me taking two birds out with one stone;) Please read and review? I might write more if enough people want me to;)**

**Kisses,**

**Snow**


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